| For Immediate Release | For more information contact: |
| February 14, 2000 | Sandra Whalen (651-296- 5529) |
Minnesota laws require sex offenders to register with local law enforcement when they move to different locations. This requirement is born of necessity and carries lawmakers' intent to protect children and vulnerable adults, as well as to reign in individuals who have done their time but are still considered a threat.
Minnesota is home to about 13,000 convicted criminal sex offenders. Currently, we have an approximate 35 percent compliance rate for the sex offender registration requirement. Beyond that, recidivism rates are high, and average Minnesotans are constantly barraged with media reports of sexual assaults on school children and abduction of our young people. Obviously, current laws aren't working.
The number of sex offenders complying with the registration law is unacceptably low, but with our current laws and information systems it's been unavoidable until now. Several pieces of key legislation will be heard Tuesday in the House Crime Prevention Committee that will stop sex offenders from "falling through the cracks" and punish those who circumnavigate the system. House Republicans are proposing a number of substantial changes to our laws to give cops, prosecutors and judges the tools they need to keep Minnesota safe.
Non-compliance with Registration Laws
A violation of the sex offender registration law is currently punishable as a gross misdemeanor; therefore, public safety officials are reluctant to dedicate limited resources to tracking offenders when the resulting penalty is so minor. The registration requirement is a vital tool law enforcement uses to track sex offenders, solve crimes and protect public safety. To illustrate this law's importance, we will make violations of our registration laws punishable as a two-year felony.
Stronger registration laws also have a deterrent effect. Knowing that an offender would have the long-term burden of registering with local law enforcement agencies, that compliance would be strictly enforced, and that the resulting penalty would be a felony should result in greater compliance.
Lifetime Registration
Sex offenders are required to register for 10 years from the date of release. With the known high recidivism rate for this crime, 10 years is inadequate. We should first target the worst of the worst offenders who repeat their crimes, are considered predatory, or kill during their sexual attack with lifetime ties to Minnesota's criminal justice network.
Name Change Restrictions
One recent event that shined the spotlight on flaws in the sex offender registration system was the case of Donald Blom, who is accused of kidnaping and killing Katie Poirier. Blom has been in and out of legal trouble in Minnesota for at least 20 years, and in that time changed his name 15 times. Blom is a convicted sex offender, and the perfect example of an individual "falling through the cracks" of the law enforcement system.
Information shared throughout Minnesota's criminal justice system is cryptic at best, and nonexistent in some cases. Convicted felons know how to take advantage of this faulty network and do it. In fact, changing just one letter in their name can, in effect, erase their criminal history and give them a clean slate.
Our proposed legislation requires notification of the prosecutor, who has 30 days to object to the request. The offender must then follow a number of procedures to pursue the name change request.
There will be costs associated with these registration requirements and the crafting of a statewide integrated information system. But that price is a small one to pay to keep Minnesota kids and vulnerable adults safe from predators.
The common thread throughout the House Republican Crime Agenda is the reliance of law enforcement on information and information sharing. Registration information, reports of violations and efforts to track felon name changes will surely stumble without an integrated criminal information network. It is vital that lawmakers give criminal justice professionals the tools they need to effectively do their jobs. I intend to see that through.
Representative Rich Stanek is the Chairman of the House Crime Prevention Committee and a Minneapolis Police Captain whose duties include supervision of the department's sex crimes investigations.